Antonius Block,
upon discovering that he will soon die, lives the remainder of his life trying
to escape or understand death; his only reason for living is to remain alive. This hysteric fear of death is highly significant
in the era of the black plague. That is,
people were highly afraid that on any particular day they would contract the
plague and die, and so, death loomed on the fringe of everyone’s conscious. Moreover, this constant fear of death can be
seen as a parallel to the widespread fear of nuclear destruction during the
time this film was produced (1950s), tying the film to a modern context and
making its commentary relevant. By
buying into hysteria and living life solely to avoid death, Antonius Block
shows the audience the repercussions felt by living in constant anxiety of
death, ultimately sending the message that because death in inescapable, one
should not live in fear but try to enjoy what time you have left.
The Seventh Seal is built on a
foundation of imminent death; the first thing the audience learns is that
Antonius has been approached by death and will eventually die. By being the bedrock of both the movie and
our lens to the life of Antonius, death is shown to the play a central role in
life, being the ultimate result. As
such, death is anywhere and everywhere, an idea also furthered by the movie. In the strawberry and milk scene, the mask of
death is palpably hovering in the background of the sequence, illustrating that
even in some of the happiest times of Antonius’s life, death is still weighing
on his mind. Death’s omnipresence is
more obviously supported by the frequent appearance of death himself during the
movie. Despite Antonius’s travels and
struggles, death is always waiting just one step ahead, as he is in the chapel,
posing as a priest.
Because death is
imminent, it is foolish to live life in constant terror; rather, one should
recognize death as a force in life and continue with a focus on enjoying what
life you have. This social critique is
supported by two main characters: first, the anxiety and torture felt by
Antonius Block, and secondly, the innocent carefree attitude displayed by Jof. Because Antonius has allowed death to become
such a prominent role in his life, all he can see in the world is death. By focusing on death, Antonius fails to
appreciate life as he should, only seeking answers to morbid questions that
torture him. He often ponders the
existence of God, trying to find strength in religion but rejects it, and is
left, as death claims him in the end, crying and begging for mercy because he
cannot accept death. His inability to
accept death is indicative of an unsatisfied life. Because Jof can only see death in his visions
and does not allow death to consume his life in importance, Jof can escape
death and be happy. He does not waste
his life trying to escape death or looking for answers; Jof lives a satisfying
life of simplicity despite the rampant death of the plague around him. The audience then sees the two divergent
paths between Jof and Antonius. We can
live as Antonius does, understanding the death will eventually get us and be
consumed by that sentiment, or live like Jof, and look at the face of death
from afar, appreciating what life has given us.
The Seventh Seal
ReplyDeleteIn this review of The Seventh Seal, I agree that the message of the movie is that we should enjoy life and not be obsessed with the inevitability of death. However, I disagree that Antonius Block’s only reason for living is to remain alive. Block is on a personal quest to discover the secrets of death (and life).
The mask in the strawberry and milk scene represents the presence of death, not that it is weighing on Block’s mind. As death says, “I have long walked beside you.” We can see the feeling of respite on the knight’s face. He even says, “I shall remember this moment; the silence, the twilight, the bowl of strawberries, the bowl of milk… I shall carry this memory carefully in my hands as if it were a bowl brimful of fresh milk. It will be a sign to me and a great sufficiency.” For the moment, he lives for the moment, and he has found peace.
It is true that Block and Jof represent two different points of view. Block allows the idea of death to overpower him, while Jof finds a simple joy in living. In the end, Antonius does not reject religion, for when he is crying and begging, he is still desperately praying and appealing to God. Plague or no plague, nuclear threat or no nuclear threat, in the end death is relevant to everyone, everywhere, of all times and the film tells us to be like Jof and “feel to the very end, the triumph of being alive.”
-Jacob Karnes, Group 7-
The Seventh Seal
ReplyDeleteIn this review of the movie, I fully agree that the movie gives us an example of what it looks like to have anxiety over death or enjoy the life we have now. While Antonius Block is trying to escape death, I do not think that is all he is trying to achieve throughout the movie. I also believe that Antonius is on a journey to find himself before he dies. When he fought in the Crusades, I think his mind was brainwashed, and his relationship with God became routine and nonexistent-you can tell in the opening scene when he is praying on the beach. Antonius lived a life completely void of peace…unsettled about his relationship with God, who he was, death and his earthly relationships. I think that Antonius did not want to die before he felt he was reconciled with God, and his relationship was back on track, you can tell this throughout the movie when he is continually crying out to God for answers. He is also wondering if his wife was still alive or if she waited for him, he opens up about this over strawberries and milk. Antonius dodges death continually because he wanted more time to answer these questions. Even when he finds out his wife waited for him and is still alive, he still begged for more time from Death. But, what we all often witness is that death comes when you don’t always want it to, we cannot control when we die for it is all apart of a grander plan. But like Jof, we can live life free from the fear of death and thankful for today for all that fear does is strangle, freeze and capture our minds.